236 Diet Wise
the saliva, chewing breaks the food down into smaller particles that can be
acted on more easily during its passage through your digestive system.
There is a prevalent belief that swallowing liquid along with food
“dilutes” the enzymes needed for digestion. In reality, studies have shown
that a moderate intake of one to two glasses of water with a meal improves
digestion by facilitating both the production of gastric secretions at the
time you eat and also the secretion of bicarbonate into the small intestine
that normally occurs one to two hours after a meal. [Bland, Jeffrey, Ph.D.
Digestive Enzymes, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, 1993, p. 9.]
Understanding the role of the digestive tract leads to a hypothetical
way of improving food tolerance which is to ensure more complete digestion.
We can do this by adding supplementary digestive enzymes. This would be
strongly suggested if you can identify food particles in your stools.
Digestive enzymes are available as supplements in several forms.
Pancreatin is an extract of the pancreas of cows or pigs and is a very potent,
broad-spectrum aid for the digestion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
However, if you are allergic to beef or pork, you will probably not tolerate
pancreatin.
Broad-spectrum plant enzymes are derived from the fungus
Aspergillus orazeae. They are also active in the digestion of fats, proteins,
and carbohydrates. Milder but very useful plant digestive enzymes are
papain (from papaya) and bromelain (from pineapple); the two are usually
combined in a single preparation. The latter only really digest proteins, not
fats and starches. Just remember that you can become sensitized to plant
and animal enzyme sources, just as you might a food.
To avoid this problem, Dr. William Philpott, one of the leading
developers of this technique, recommends the rotation of digestive
enzymes on a four-day cycle, using pancreatin (from pork and beef), plant
enzymes from Aspergillus orazeae, bromelain and papain in turn. [ Philpott,
William H., M.D. Victory Over Diabetes, Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan,
CT, 1983, p. 69.]
I have outlined several suggestions for digestive enhancement later
in this chapter.
Hydrochloric acid
Along with digestive enzyme lack, deficient hydrochloric acid secretions in
the stomach, complete (achlorhydria) or partial (hypochlorhydria), is a common
accompaniment. This condition also leads to digestive impairment. Its main
cause is antibody production against parietal cells, the cells that normally